BBO, perhaps I see where you may have been coming from?
Did it relate to something like this bit?
"lack of detail about Lightbridge’s commercial HALEU fuel product" Or this? "HALEU could also be used in existing light water reactors. Massachusetts-based fuel company Lightbridge, for example, is developing HALEU for use in commercial fuel" I think they mean the fuel rods using HALEU only?
Lightbridge Corporation (NASDAQ: LTBR), a nuclear fuel technology company, and Enfission LLC, a joint venture of Lightbridge and Framatome.
I believe Framatome would have been privy to what GLE has with it's Silex method of enrichment, I believe they will be funding the Enfission LLC joint venture to some degree, I reckon they saw value in what Lightbridge has and maybe what is coming, why wouldn't they?
New Boosts for Commercial Production of HALEU Advanced Nuclear Reactor Fuel
11/07/2019 | Sonal Patel
Efforts to commercialize production of high-assay, low-enriched uranium (HALEU) fuel, which is needed for an array of advanced reactors, ramped up this week with two major announcements.
As the Department of Energy (DOE) contracted Centrus Energy to demonstrate production of HALEU fuel for advanced reactors at the DOE’s American Centrifuge Plant in Piketon, Ohio, private fuel manufacturers Global Nuclear Fuel (GNF) and X-energy signed a collaboration to produce “low-cost” TRi-structural ISOtropic (TRISO) particle nuclear fuel, a type of HALEU fuel, at GNF’s licensed fuel fabrication facility in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Where are GNF-A and X Energy going to get their HALEU from? "LOW COST" How so??
The HALEU Centrifuge Project Is Underway
Bethesda, Maryland-headquartered Centrus, a company formerly known as the U.S. Enrichment Corp., said on Nov. 5 that the three-year contract allows it to deploy a cascade of centrifuges to demonstrate the advanced nuclear fuel. Under the contract, Centrus will license, build, assemble, and operate AC100M centrifuge machines and related infrastructure in a cascade formation to produce HALEU at the DOE’s American Centrifuge Plant in Piketon, Ohio, for the demonstration program.
The DOE earlier this year said it wanted to fast-track demonstration of HALEU production to help propel interest and bolster development of advanced nuclear reactor designs. HALEU is nuclear fuel that is enriched to a higher degree (of between 5% and 20%) in the fissile isotope U-235. In comparison, the world’s current fleet of light water reactors (LWRs) typically uses fuel enriched to less than 5% U-235. As experts note, HALEU promises to provide more power per volume than conventional reactors, and its efficiency allows for smaller plant sizes. It also promises longer core life and a higher burn-up rate of nuclear waste, it notes.
The Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) says many advanced reactor concepts—including some microreactors (many smaller than 10 MW), high temperature gas reactors in the 100-MW to 200-MW range, and salt reactors—may require this type of fuel. HALEU could also be used in existing light water reactors. Massachusetts-based fuel company Lightbridge, for example, is developing HALEU for use in commercial fuel. It has said it wants to demonstrate the fuel in a research reactor at a U.S. national laboratory in 2020, as well as a commercial nuclear power plant powering a U.S. city by 2021, but, the DOE in May declined to fund the project, citing a lack of detail about Lightbridge’s commercial HALEU fuel product.
Though NEI suggests annual commercial requirements for HALEU could soar to a cumulative 185.5 metric tons annually, there is no current supply of HALEU, and commercial supply is not likely to materialize until a market is formed. NEI has long urged the federal government that establishing HALEU fuel production capability in the near future is critical to U.S. leadership, as global competition heats up to design and build small modular reactors as well as larger non-LWR reactors.
Deputy Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette told reporters on Jan. 7 as he announced the AC100M HALEU demonstration project that national security is a key driver for the fast-tracked project. “Russia has the ability to produce these type of fuels,” which is why the U.S. government was “looking for U.S. origin and U.S. source fuel. We feel this is very important, again, for national security, for energy security needs here in the U.S,” he said. The project’s goal is “to demonstrate the capability to produce HALEU with existing U.S. enrichment technology in support of the advanced reactor community.” However, “it will also benefit research and development programs here at the department itself,” he said.
Brouillette, whom President Trump has suggested could replace current Energy Secretary Rick Perry when he retires, likely at the end of this year, said in January that the Centrus demonstration project is expected to produce 19.75% U-235 enriched product by October 2020. DOE documents, however, suggest that while construction could begin this year to balance the centrifuges, the project will likely be wrapped up in September 2021, even though the contract runs through 2022.
Enfission and Lightbridge CEO to Participate in Nuclear Power Events in Washington D.C.
September 30, 2019 10:53 ET | Source: Lightbridge Corporation
Events to feature recent advances in nuclear including successful fabrication of Lightbridge Fuel™ surrogate rods
RESTON, Va., Sept. 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lightbridge Corporation (NASDAQ: LTBR), a nuclear fuel technology company, and Enfission LLC, a joint venture of Lightbridge and Framatome, today announced that Seth Grae, CEO of Enfission and Lightbridge, will give a keynote address at an event being held by DC WIN (Women in Nuclear) at The Embassy of France in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, October 15, 2019 from 6:00 - 8:30 PM Eastern Time. The event is entitled, “A Future Together: Nuclear Energy in France and America. He will discuss recent milestones reached in the development of Lightbridge Fuel™ as examples of French and American cooperation.
Mr. Grae was also invited to participate in the Nuclear Energy and National Security Coalition (NENSC) roundtable being held at the Atlantic Council in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, October 15, 2019 from 2:00 – 5:00 pm Eastern Time. He is scheduled to speak during a panel entitled “The Role of Innovation in the Civilian and Military Nuclear Energy Sectors.” Also participating will be Robert Ichord, Jr., Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Global Energy Center, Atlantic Council, as well as Rachel Slaybough, Program Director, ARPA-E, and Assistant Professor of Nuclear Engineering, University of California Berkeley. The panel will be moderated by Matthew Bowen, Senior Fellow, Global Energy Center, Atlantic Council and will feature opening remarks by Ambassador Thomas Graham, Jr., Co-Chairman, NENSC and Executive Chairman of the Board of Lightbridge. NENSC was founded by the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center in order to increase awareness for nuclear energy as a cornerstone of national security.
Seth Grae, CEO of Enfission and Lightbridge Corporation commented, "I am honored to participate in these events and look forward to highlighting our recent advancements, including fabrication of surrogate fuel rods for today’s fleet of commercial reactors, as well as planned small modular reactors. The manufactured rods will be used to validate ongoing computer modeling in France, with our partners at Framatome through our Enfission joint venture. I also look forward to highlighting how recent milestones should help Lightbridge Fuel play a meaningful role in supporting the links between nuclear power and national security, including grid resiliency and the need for HALEU.”
About Lightbridge Corporation
Lightbridge (NASDAQ: LTBR) is a nuclear fuel technology development company based in Reston, Virginia, USA. The Company develops proprietary next generation nuclear fuel technologies for current and future reactors, which significantly enhances the economics and safety of nuclear power, operating about 1000° C cooler than standard fuel. In January 2018, Lightbridge andFramatome, Inc. formed a 50-50 joint venture, Enfission, LLC, to develop, license, manufacture, and sell nuclear fuel assemblies based on Lightbridge-designed metallic fuel technology and other advanced nuclear fuel intellectual property. Enfission has the exclusive rights to this technology and is responsible for the development of manufacturing processes and fuel assembly designs for pressurized water reactors (PWRs), boiling water reactors (BWRs), water-cooled small modular reactors, and water-cooled research reactors developed around this intellectual property. PWRs and BWRs constitute the most widely used reactor types in the world. Four large electric utilities that generate about half the nuclear power in the US already advise Lightbridge on fuel development and deployment. In addition to distributions from Enfission based on the parties’ ownership interest in the joint venture, Lightbridge anticipates receiving future licensing revenues in connection with sales by Enfission of nuclear fuel incorporating its intellectual property. Lightbridge also provides comprehensive advisory services for established and emerging nuclear programs based on a philosophy of transparency, non-proliferation, safety and operational excellence. For more information please visit: www.ltbridge.com.
Enfission is a US-based 50-50 joint venture between Lightbridge Corporation and Framatome. Enfission was established January 25, 2018 to complete the development, regulatory licensing, and commercial deployment worldwide of nuclear fuel assemblies based on multi-lobe metallic twisted fuel technology. Enfission will produce Lightbridge Fuel™ assemblies initially for operators of U.S. commercial nuclear power plants, then follow with production of Lightbridge Fuel™ assemblies for other types of reactors and for markets around the world. Additional information about the Company is available at: www.enfission.net.
SLX Price at posting:
39.0¢ Sentiment: Buy Disclosure: Held
(20min delay)
